Search form

More Than Just Action and Kids' Stuff: Gaming Tips for Gaming Haters

Ýou think gamers are nerds? You can't be bothered with computer games? Maybe the tips radio broadcaster Marcus Richter has in his presentation "What's in a game?" can change that.

Computer games still haven't reached the mainstream yet. At least, that's how game fan and radio broadcaster Marcus Richter sees it. "Gaming is something strange. And gamers are seen as weird", Richter said at the first session on Stage 6 on Day 1 of the MEDIA CONVENTION Berlin. Too many people categorise games somewhere on a scale between trivial action games and kids' stuff. According to Richter, "that would be like there only being two types of movies: Transformers and Frozen". Richter's message: Gaming is just as diverse as the movie world. To help take away gaming novices and game haters inhibitions, Marcus Richter recommends four different genres as a starting point:

Exploration Games

There's no blasting here. The player explores a world at their own pace from the character's perspective, wandering through rooms and getting to know virtual characters. Virtual opponents aren't shot at. Richter recommends the game "That Dragon, Cancer". The fee-based exploration game is based around a father and his child suffering from cancer. The player accompanies the family through sadness and hope.

Games in this category feel like moves that you can participate in. The player watches the characters and their dialogues and only intervenes in the action from time to time. They have to solve puzzles, look for items and pass small tests.

Richter's game tip is "The Walking Dead". In the game, the player has to fight for survival in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The fee-based game is based on the American TV show of the same name. To be able to survive, the player has to be prepared to sacrifice a few characters.

Platforms: Steam, xBox, Playstation, iOS, Android.

Turn-based Games

"It's like chess in colour", said Marcus Richter of the genre. The player watches his characters from above and can move them around like they would on a game board. They usually have to be sent into battle using clever strategies.

Richter recommends the game "Warbits", where soldiers, towers and canons have to withstand attacks from an enemy. The game is played against a backdrop made up of cute and colourful animations. Platforms: iOS.

Skill-based Games

Quick fingers are need here. The user has to click, tip or swipe at the exact right time. "These games are so hard that the player never loses due to the game, they lose based solely on their own skill level", Marco Richter explains. This means that the players are all the more happy when they do manage to win the game. Richter compares it to the feeling you have when juggling and you finally manage to get three balls up in the air at the same time.

The game tip is "Superhexagon" in which the gamer roars through a hexagonal tunnel full of obstacles. From second to second, the player has to dodge the obstacles. "Anyone who manages longer than five seconds on the first go is a natural".